5 Mortal Kombat Characters Who Need To Return In The Series’ Next Game

Rumors of a new Mortal Kombat game in production seem more and more likely after the success of the Mortal Kombat 2 movie, but the first question on fans’ minds is always a new title’s roster. The Mortal Kombat series has a history of beloved characters, from colorful ninjas to sorcerers, demons, special forces soldiers, and more. With Mortal Kombat 1 rebooting the series’ world into a new timeline, there are new possibilities in how some fan-favorite faces can return.

There have been multiple “eras” of Mortal Kombat, where specific characters were included in varying timelines and universes throughout each game’s story. For example, before Mortal Kombat 9 in 2011, there were many new characters from the 3D era of the series, in games like Mortal Kombat Deception, Deadly Alliance, or Armageddon. For this list, the potential fighters for the newest timeline in a hypothetical Mortal Kombat 2 are mainly ones who haven’t been fully integrated into that era’s setting yet.

5. Kabal

Last seen in Mortal Kombat 11, Kabal is a character who hasn’t made the jump to Mortal Kombat 1‘s new timeline yet. This fighter has one of the more unique fighting styles in the series, using blinding speed to disrupt opponents before attacking them with twin hook swords. The gas mask and oftentimes burned skin of Kabal give him a striking appearnace compared to other characters, but it’s their affiliation that could enrich Mortal Kombat‘s revised world.

In past games, Kabal was sometimes a former cop that teamed up with characters like Stryker, or a member of the criminal Black Dragon group alongside Kano. The Black Dragon is typically a group only represented by Kano, a character only seen as an assisting Kameo fighter in Mortal Kombat 1. While Kano could be a good candidate to come back as well, Kabal’s supernatural powers and striking presence might be more fitting within a main roster slot.

4. Sonya Blade

Another character relegated to the Kameo role in Mortal Kombat 1 was series veteran Sonya Blade, the Special Forces operative from the very first arcade game. Usually present in every Mortal Kombat, Sonya’s absence from the new timeline was heavily felt in developer NetherRealm Studios’ latest entry to the franchise. As a result, not having Sonya in whatever new game is under production would be a crime, especially considering other Earthrealm warriors like Johnny Cage and Kenshi are still present.

Sonya Blade was given a new variety of tricks in Mortal Kombat 11, including a K.A.T. Turret drone she could control during fights. Expanding upon her usual CQC gameplay, while keeping signature moves like her Energy Rings, would be an idea way to bring Sonya into the “modern” age of Mortal Kombat. Considering how one of Mortal Kombat 1‘s biggest criticisms was its lack of diverse female fighter representation, swifly including Sonya in the next game would be a good way to make fans happier.

3. Nightwolf

Nightwolf is another character whose toolkit from Mortal Kombat 11 and past titles could create an exciting fighter for a future game. The glowing green energy and spirit animal summons of Nightwolf have always set him apart from other Earthrealm combatants, standing toe to toe with warriors like Sub-Zero, Scorpion, Shang Tsung, and more ever since Mortal Kombat 3. This character has often been excluded from various games, rarely being playable even when shown.

This character has been a cemo in Mortal Kombat 1, Mortal Kombat X, and has was only DLC very late into Mortal Kombat 11‘s life cycle. The last time Nightwolf was a main roster character was in 2011’s Mortal Kombat 9, nearly 15 years ago. With many fans recognizing this fighter as one of the most recognizable and unique in the series, any future entry to the franchise should consider making this Native American Shaman a mainstay.

2. Tremor

Mortal Kombat 1 had nearly every type of palette swapped ninja from the series, sometimes shifting their play style to be reinvigorated and fresh compared to the past. For example, Reptile could now transform between his human and monster form, while Rain was a longer range setplay character rather than a rushdown copy of other fighters. Yet, Tremor only appeared as a Kameo, with his only appearance as a full-fledged fighter being in Mortal Kombat X.

With secret ninja characters in Mortal Kombat only growing with MK1‘s Floyd, bringing back Tremor along with others like Ermac and Noob Saibot would make sense. Tremor’s geomancy and manipulation of earth was already incredibly inventive in MKX, creating one of the most popular and powerful characters within that game. Tremor’s unique orange look created for MK1 was a fascinating way to introduced the character to the new timeline, suggesting that he could return in some way.

1. Sareena

One of the most highly requested characters in every recent Mortal Kombat game has been Sareena, a warrior of the NetherRealm once under Quan-Chi’s control. This character has been through multiple iterations, but has only ever appeared as a brief story cameo or an assisting Kameo in different titles. Sareena’s mastery of NetherRealm hellfire magic and demonic ancestry make her instantly recognizable, but current games in the series from NetherRealm Studios have never made Sareena playable.

This has a chance to finally change in a future project, especially since a new blueprint to Sareena has been established through her Kameo in Mortal Kombat 1. Oftentimes, Sareena’s story has been a fascinating one to explore, once showing a close relationship between her and the younger Sub-Zero from past games. Perhaps another interesting story can be told about the character again in a new game’s single-player mode, giving her a plot reason to show up as a playable character in Mortal Kombat‘s next entry.

What Mortal Kombat character do you think should be on the roster for the series’ next game? Leave a comment below or join the conversation in the ComicBook Forum!

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